When Sussex’s Duke and Duchess, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, separated themselves from the royal family in early 2020, they were met with much confusion and speculation regarding the split. After two years, the pair transparently revealed their experience behind being a part of the family and under the public eye in Netflix’s docuseries, “Harry & Meghan.”

Released on December 8, 2022, “Harry & Meghan” began by giving viewers insight into growing up as a royal family member, specifically through Harry’s eyes. Harry was constantly filmed and photographed as a child, with paparazzi even following his family on vacations. He observed how when his mother and father, Princess Diana and Charles III, divorced, paparazzi harassed Diana up until her death. As Harry coped with the loss of his mother, he felt pressured to appear collected and proper to uphold the family’s reputation.

Since the public watched Harry’s every move, Harry decided to keep his relationship with Meghan very private in 2016. However, Meghan was thrown into the limelight later that year when their relationship was exposed. She felt constantly scrutinized by the media and misrepresented in the news, and this only worsened when the pair got married in 2018.

Despite Harry and Meghan thinking that the royal family would protect them and their public image, as news came out about Meghan such as her strained relationship with her father, they did nothing. Media outlets leaked Meghan’s private information and made unsubstantiated claims calling her a bully, causing her mental health to deteriorate. Harry even blames the media’s harassment for Meghan’s miscarriage in 2020. Meghan recalls feeling completely vulnerable and helpless. “I wasn’t being thrown to the wolves. I was being fed to the wolves,” Meghan said in the docuseries.

Harry also suggests the royal family was judgemental and not fully accepting of Meghan. He hints that the continual attention Meghan received made them jealous. Moreover, when Harry and Meghan were interviewed by Oprah, Meghan claimed the royal family showed concern over how dark her baby would be. This led to several racist allegations against the royal family.

The pair finally wanted to be free from the royal family and constant media coverage. Unfortunately, when Harry mentioned wanting to separate with his family, his brother, Prince William, reportedly screamed at him. Harry’s marriage ultimately acted as a wedge between his relationship with his family, especially with his brother and father. Despite the risk, Harry and Meghan were able leave the royal family, choosing to relinquish the security the family offered them.

The docuseries portrays Harry and Meghan’s now joyful life in Santa Barbara, where they raise their children Archie and Lilibet. Buckingham Palace stated they will not be commenting on the series, which painted them in a negative light exposing the hardships they put Harry and Meghan through.